Month: January 2013

Making a first impression is not something that I usually stress over. Regardless of whether the situation is professional or personal, I’d like to think that my years of watching reality competition shows, regularly having to repeat my name upon introduction to persuade people that contrary to Spell Check suggestions my name is not Mohawk, studying the book on recruitment and selection processes (literally – I am an HR student), and yes, finally nailing that first non-clammy handshake, have given me some level of confidence that I can avoid pulling a Kevin McCallister.

Translating these skills into the digital sphere has proven to be a little more nerve wracking than I expected. I have been thinking about launching a personal online space for a few years but I was worried about nailing my TLC pitch. If content development is rooted in tapping into niche lifestyles or random activities, then everyone should be worshipping the guys who were genius enough to think about following six year old pageant queens and brides as they try on mermaid cotton ball gowns. For the longest time I could not explain why I was so involved in watching people renovate their neighbours living room or coupon-obsessed consumers. Take away the generic theme songs and Ty Pennington, and all you’ve got left are things that people do everyday. But, they’re weirdly captivating. And I figured that the things I do aren’t so exciting.

I realized that I wasn’t gaining much by watching these programs for the actual activities other than the understanding that playing with your food can result in an edible sandbucket. There is, however, something to be said about people having different conceptions of normalhood, rooted in aspects like our environment, what we like, what we don’t like, our values and beliefs, our desires to marry Ryan Gosling, blah blah blah. Living in our circumstances with minimal acceptance is one thing. Embracing them takes it one step further. Sharing them not only shows we’re comfortable with ourselves, but it also opens up ways for us to learn from each other, about each other. In short, being you is COOL. Right, Boo?

Get it, gurl.

It’s not about landing a television contract. It’s about self-expression and branding. You can imagine how this might be a bit of a challenge given that this June I will be one of thousands of students who will be throwing their 4×4 hats in the air, waving their diplomas like they just don’t care, and celebrating that they’ve finally closed up a very definitive chapter of their lives and moving onto the next one. The problem here is that for many of us the prospects aren’t too shiny. In fact, at this point in time, I don’t really have any. But what I do have is a resume filled with experience in banking, human resources, and online media. I carry a passion for connecting with people and have a desire to learn about the different industries, places, cultures and societies. I like baking. I love CW teen dramas. And I have about a 2% level of shame for my ability to tap into my inner fourteen year old and fan girl. But that doesn’t mean I’m not serious about wanting to do something that I find meaningful.

This is the basis of my reality.

I am living it. I am embracing it. And now, I’d like to share it. This is my attempt at creating a first impression that goes beyond a fifteen minute prescreen phone call or a quick creep on my Facebook page. If you’re a recruiter, I hope you get a sense of the kind of passion and dedication I have to offer as a candidate. If you’re a friend, I’m more than excited to include you in another part of my life, but know that the Instagram photos of avocados and my bulldog will never stop. If you’re a passerby, an internet nomad, or a follower of sorts, I figure that we all have something in common, and you’ll likely find that to be true here – though I don’t think I qualify for Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon just yet.

This is my pitch. This is my story. So What The Mehek – let’s get started.